Town-Crier Newspaper May 6, 2016

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COUNTY MOVES FORWARD ON SURTAX SEE STORY, PAGE 7

FINE ARTS AT WELLINGTON SCHOOLS SEE STORY, PAGE 15

THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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Eagle Scout Project Helps Military Service Members In Need

Volume 37, Number 19 May 6 - May 12, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

PRINCE HARRY VISITS WELLINGTON

When it comes to Eagle Scout projects, there are plenty of options, but 14-year-old Justin Sterling knew exactly what he wanted to do. “I wanted to show how we care for the military,” he said. Sterling’s project is to send at least 50 care packages and at least 200 letters of encouragement through Forgotten Soldiers Outreach to soldiers deployed overseas. Page 3

Young Entrepreneurs Academy Trade Show

Middle school and high school students from area schools unveiled 14 new startup businesses to the public at the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy Trade Show on Saturday, April 30 at the Mall at Wellington Green. Page 5

Women Of The Western Communities Hosts ‘Sail Into Fashion’

Women of the Western Communities presented its “Sail Into Fashion” brunch, fashion show and auction fundraiser on Sunday, May 1 at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. Proceeds from the event benefit the YWCA Harmony House and the club’s scholarship fund. Page 9

OPINION National Bike Month Is A Great Time To Try Out A New Activity

This week was the kickoff of National Bike Month, established in 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists. National Bike Month is an opportunity to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to give biking a try. May is also recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as Bicycle Safety Month, and often includes reminders of proper rules of the road and use of safety equipment. Page 4

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS.................37 - 40 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Prince Harry visited Wellington on Wednesday, May 4 to play in a tournament hosted at the Valiente Polo Farm. The event was a fundraiser to benefit Prince Harry’s charity, Sentebale. Despite soggy conditions, the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup 2016 went forward as planned, with Prince Harry’s team taking top honors. Shown here collecting the trophy from Royal Salute brand ambassador Torquhil Campbell is the winning team of Melissa Ganzi, Prince Harry, Malcolm Borwick and Bob Jornayvaz. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 3 PHOTO BY ALAN FABRICANT/ALFABPHOTO.COM

Wellington Zoners Object To Bed-And-Breakfast Changes By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board on Wednesday recommended not approving proposed changes to land use regulations that would make the rules more amenable for bed-andbreakfast locations. The proposed changes are at the request of Mimi Hockman, who wants to establish a bed and breakfast in the Equestrian Preserve Area. There are currently no bed-and-breakfast locations in Wellington. Amendments that would affect bed and breakfasts village-wide include that family members will reside on the site at all times. It would allow for Americans with Disabilities Act alterations for the exterior, require public water and wastewater, and would prohibit long-term rentals over six months. Additional parking is also required of one space per bedroom. Proposed amendments for the

equestrian area specifically include raising the maximum occupancy from five rooms to eight rooms, a decrease in minimum lot size from 3 acres to 2 acres, and that it be located within a quarter-mile of a collector or arterial road. The Equestrian Preserve Committee recommended approval unanimously on April 13 with recommendations requiring a conditional use approval by the Wellington Village Council rather than Development Review Committee approval, keeping an existing separation requirement, allowing a maximum of five bedrooms on 2 to 5 acres and allowing up to eight bedrooms on more than 5 acres. The committee also asked for additional ownership requirements. PZA Board Member George Unger said his bed-and-breakfast experiences were limited to areas such as Key West and St. Augustine, where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, as opposed to residential neighborhoods, and that

he, sitting on the First Wellington master HOA board 17 years ago had found that neighbors to a proposed bed and breakfast opposed them in their neighborhoods. Unger added that he was concerned about bed and breakfasts that don’t work out, which might turn to other uses, such as Section 8 housing or sober homes, over which the village has limited control, or corporations that might buy out the use. “There are a million things that could happen,” Unger said. “Does it become a different kind of rental? It’s not the village’s fault, but the village has already proven that it has a very hard time enforcing things by going out to people’s property, because people don’t have to let them on their property.” PZA Board Member Andrew Carduner shared Unger’s concerns, particularly his concerns about corporations buying out bed-and-breakfast interests, and See PZA BOARD, page 18

Groves Council OKs Charter Amendments For The Ballot By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved three town charter referendum questions Tuesday to appear on the Aug. 30 primary election ballot. The questions would ask voters whether they want to change the membership requirements of the Election Canvassing Board to exclude anyone participating in an election campaign, change some portions of town management requirements, and delete the current requirement for the town to secure revenue bonds by referendum approval. The first question approved for the ballot addresses election canvassing issues. The charter provides that council members not up for election and the town clerk sit on the canvassing board, which reviews and approves the election results. The proposed amendment would

have the clerk and two others appointed by council resolution make up the board. Under the proposed wording, canvassing board members could not be active supporters of candidates in the election. Town Attorney Michael Cirullo said that Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher had been approached to be a member of the canvassing board, but had declined, indicating that a constitutional officer cannot be required to be the member of a municipal entity. Cirullo added that this was the first reading of all three ordinances, and that the council has two more meetings to finalize the provisions. Councilman Ron Jarriel asked whether two citizens could be members, and Cirullo said there are no restrictions, as long as the appointee agrees, adding that the town clerk is always the third member.

Councilman Ryan Liang made a motion to approve the ordinance on its preliminary reading, which carried 5-0. The second ballot question would make changes to clarify contracting of town services and also would change the qualifications for the manager. Town Manager Bill Underwood said he wanted to bring the requirements more in line with other charters in state, and more in line with the way the town operates. Liang made a motion to adopt the ordinance, which was seconded by Councilman Todd McLendon. Vice Mayor Tom Goltzené asked whether a provision requiring a supermajority of four council members to fire the manager could be included, but Cirullo said that would require amending a separate section of the charter. Goltzené added that he would See LOX COUNCIL, page 18

RPB Collects Input At Citizen Summit By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach lent its figurative ear to the community on Tuesday, May 3 during its annual Citizen Summit, designed to gather public input for when it is time to review and add to the village’s Strategic Plan. “We are very pleased to welcome you this evening,” Mayor Fred Pinto said. “This is the fourth year in a row; our fourth annual planning process. About four weeks ago, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council got together with our consultant, Lyle Sumek, who is going to be facilitating the process this evening. We went through our strategic planning process. What we are going to be doing tonight is the output from that process. We really, really want your input and thoughts on that.” Additionally, Pinto continued, the village wants input on what it should be focusing on in the next 12 months, as well as four or five years out. Pinto asked for feedback about whether participants thought the village has items in the right or-

der of priority, and what is missing from the list of priorities. Approximately a dozen village officials, including the full council, took turns joining seven resident groups conducting three rounds of brainstorming. By the end of the summit, despite a power failure that lasted almost a half-hour, about 50 people had participated in the 2016 Citizen Summit. The turnout was about what Pinto expected and was roughly average for the turnout in previous years. The council sent out invitations to those in committees and groups, as well as people who participate within the community, and approximately 30 from among those invited participated. “I would love to have more turnout always, but I’m not disappointed in what we have,” Pinto said. “I really want to encourage every person in the village; they’re all invited. It’s not just the people who got a specific invitation.” Village Manager Ray Liggins stressed that the role of staff is to listen. “We really do get a lot out See SUMMIT, page 7

SENIORS CLUB HOSTS SPRING FLING DANCE

The Wellington Seniors Club held its annual Spring Fling Dinner Dance on Friday, April 29 at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club. The evening included a surprise when Wellington Seniors Club President Jerry Springer’s birthday was celebrated by the secret arrival of his family. After dinner, there was a raffle of the floral centerpieces, and the guests danced the night away. Shown here are event committee members Tony and Mary Alfalla, Jerry Springer, and Eileen and George Kuhnel. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Council Extends Village Attorney’s Contract By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council last week extended Village Attorney Laurie Cohen’s contract by one year at the recommendation of Vice Mayor John McGovern, who had negotiated the contract. At the April 26 meeting, McGovern recommended a one-year extension with few changes, to which Cohen had agreed, in light of a new council that might want to amend the contract after that time. “We had a robust discussion… wherein we discussed the fact that at this point in time, with two new council people and one literally brand-new council person, the fair thing to do, both for the council and Ms. Cohen as the attorney, so that her performance and the breadth and depth of the work that is done in her department could be fairly assessed by each one of us, was to come forward with a one-

year extension,” McGovern said. The effective date of the extension was set at May 1. Councilman Michael Drahos asked for confirmation that the contract was identical to the current contract, except for an increase in the vehicle allowance to $600 a month, which is the standard allowance for senior staff. Mayor Anne Gerwig pointed out that the attorney still would be eligible for any raise given to staff across the board. Councilman Michael Napoleone thanked McGovern for taking the lead in negotiating the contract and appreciated Cohen’s agreeing to the one-year extension. “I know you would have liked longer, but I appreciate you working with us so that we can get a chance to get to know how much you and your staff do back there, See ATTORNEY, page 4

RPBHS Students Launch Pedestrian Safety Project

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report For the last few summers, Maya Williams, Marissa Premsukh, April Kho and Adecia Harrison have attended a program put on by the Teen Safe Driving Coalition. “Every year, after we leave the coalition, they ask us to put in place a project at our school in terms of safe driving for pedestrians or drivers, or seatbelts, or different aspects of safe driving. This year, we’re focusing on pedestrian safety,” Williams said. They approached Royal Palm Beach High School’s SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) advisor Maureen Wit-

kowski and the idea for blinking lights to increase visibility was put into action. The girls are working with SADD volunteers on their “Get to School Safe” program, where they will be visiting Royal Palm Beach, H.L. Johnson and Cypress Trails elementary schools on Monday, May 16 from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The high school students will pass out blinking lights that can be attached to bicycles or backpacks to help make elementary school children more visible on their way to and from school. The principals of the three schools, Witkowski said, are excited about the project.

The first batch of 150 blinking lights, Williams said, has already come in, and she’s excited to test them out. However, in order to pass out the lights, they need to buy them first. They are asking for $250 sponsorships, but any amount is welcome, she said. “We’re still going around, asking local businesses and people associated with safe driving to make donations or sponsor us,” Williams said. The blinkers currently have the SADD logo on them, Witkowski pointed out, but can easily be customized with a sponsor’s logo. “I’m so excited,” Williams said. “It’s great because with an interac-

tive project like this, you get to see the people you’re impacting.” Williams, and the rest of the organizers, enjoy doing things to help the community, and are excited to spearhead a project that could save lives. “Personally, I biked and walked to school for the majority of my life, and I know how scary it can be,” she said. “I feel that if you were illuminated, and drivers had an easier time spotting you, the casualties would be lessened so much.” The scary part, Williams explained, is going to school in the morning when it is dark, especially See RPBHS SADD, page 4

Blinking lights like these will be handed out to elementary school students.


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